Food. Filipino Food.

May 23, 2011

Giveaway: Philippine Sea Salt

Ever since bringing back a stash of Ilocano Sea Salt from a trip to the Philippines a few years ago, I've been hooked on the salty Filipino crystals. I've used Philppine sea salt in everything savory--from adobos to salads--and believe it or not, in everything sweet--like cookies and ice creams.

I'm a fiend for that Filipino flake.

And although I've since exhausted that original stash of Badoc's finest, I've been lucky enough to have a network of enablers who keep my sea salt carousel spinning. Whenever a friend or family member makes a trek to the Islands, I make damn sure they bring me back a couple bags of the white stuff to replenish my home supply. And they gladly oblige.

Mules. Suckers.

Speaking of mules and suckers, my mom brought me back about 2 keys of Badoc Asin on her last trip there earlier this year. And even though I lace many a dish with Philippine sea salt, it isn't likely that I'll blow through that much shake any time soon.

But now, when I do run out of my prized salt from the South China Sea, I won't have to rely on my network of mules to go to the P.I. and back. I've now discovered a local dealer that can satisfy my salty needs.

xroads Philippine Sea Salts are purveyors of, yup, premium Philippine sea salts. xroads is a small outfit run out of Northern California, importing and selling two unique types of sea salt from the Philippines. Lucky for me, xroads was kind enough to send me some salty samples.

The Goods from xroads

The first salt on offer from xroads is something they label as "Ilocano Asin", which is very similar in flavor and texture to the sea salt I've been getting from Badoc in Ilocos Norte. xroads Ilocano Asin is coarse, moist, white, and uh, salty.

The second salt xroads offers is what they label "Sugpo Asin", which literally translates to prawn salt. The Sugpo Asin are hollow crystals that are ever-so-slightly-pink due to the shrimp that live in the salt beds from which this particular salt is harvested--hence its name. I've found that the Sugpo Asin, when used as a finishing salt, remains especially crunchy even when sprinkled on wet surfaces--like a just-seared steak, or a just-sliced green mango.

Sugpo Asin: Kinda sorta pale pink-ish

I also want to note that xroads salts are all-natural, sustainable, and hand harvested from Pangasinan (the land of salt). In addition, the salts are packaged in nifty eco-friendly boxes woven from nipa palm--a familiar sight to many Pinoys.

And if you are of the mind that there probably isn't anything special about sea salt from the Philippines, well, you're wrong. Many lar-dee-dar restaurants and ooh-lar-lar chefs use sea salt from the Philippines. In fact, Philippine sea salt is often used in the kitchen at The French Laundry.

Ooooh! Take that, you salt snobs!

UPDATE 5/26: Thanks to the kind folks at xroads, there will now be 5 boxes of Sugpo Asin available for this giveaway (instead of the original 1). So there will now be 5 people selected to each win 1 box of Sugpo Asin. Mabuhay!

And now dear readers, you can also get your Filipino salt lick on as I will be giving away FIVE (5!!!) sample boxes of xroads Sugpo Asin. The sample box xroads provides is a nipa box containing two ounces of the pink sea salt. Two ounces might not sound like a lot, but if used as a finishing salt, the Sugpo Asin will last for quite some time. And besides, you can always order more salt from xroads.

I will randomly select FIVE winners and contact them via email or Twitter Direct Message--so if you aren't already following me on twitter, you best do so now!

All comments and tweets for this post will be accepted as entry for the giveaway and this contest will end on Monday May 30, 2011 at 11:59 PM Pacific time. I'll randomly select 5 winners, the winners must reply to email or DM within 24 hours--otherwise I'll randomly select another winner. Sorry, this contest is open to U.S. residents only.

Full Disclosure: Yes, I received the salt for free from xroads, but I was under no obligation to write about them, review the products, etc. I chose to feature the salt here because I did enjoy it, and because of the connection to Filipino farmers and Filipino products. So there.

It has been a very, very long time since I've had Philippine sea salt. I'd love to try it again. I remember eating salt crystals as a kid when we visited my parents' families in Pangasinan for summer vacation.

I didn't know Filipinos had their own salt? I mean, go figure, they have their own version of everything! And I'm sure it makes everything taste that much better, too. Like, not just fish sauce on green mango, but patis on green mango ...and you get a free pencil.

I agree that our salts rock! I've also lugged a kilo of sea salt from Ilocos (though not as long, nor as far a "lug" than yours). It's gone now but I also have a good source here in Manila where I get both Ilocano and Pangasinan salt :) So glad you are having this contest and spreading the love for our salts :)

I love the description of the salt, and would love to try it on our fresh vegetables from our garden. I had no idea there were so many different variates of salt. What an eye opener at my age; way over the hill!!

I have a bag of Hawaiian sea salt from Trader Joe's that has a similar non-melty(yes, that is the technical term) crunch to the one you described. I've had it for a while, since I only use it as a finishing salt, as well. I'll bet your pink stuff tastes better, if only for the fact that it's made at home.

I live with a salt addict...my roommate loves salt...no kidding there are no less than TEN different kinds of salt in the kitchen! Bonus, she is Filipino AND Ilocano and would go NUTS for some more salt! BTW she reads your blog too.